"Real leaders concentrate on doing the right thing,
not on doing things right."

That advice from organizational consultants comes as no
surprise to leaders of educative institutions, whose lives are filled with
difficult ethical dilemmas. Principals experience such dilemmas on a daily
basis, says William Greenfield (1991). Having moral obligations to society,
to the profession, to the school board, and to students, they find that
"it often is not clear what is right or wrong, or what one ought to do,
or which perspective is right in moral terms. Unfortunately relatively few
administrators have been trained to deal with these conflicts. Until very
recently, ethical issues were given little attention in preparation programs
(Lynn Beck and Joseph Murphy 1994).

What ethical responsibilities do leaders have?

Greenfield notes that program leaders face a unique set of
ethical demands. Schools are moral institutions, designed to promote social
norms, and principals are moral agents who must often make decisions that
favour one moral value over another. Moreover, although schools, for
example, are
dedicated to the well-being of children, students have virtually no voice in
what happens there. For all these reasons, the leader's conduct "must
be deliberately moral."

Leaders' moral duty expresses itself not only in the
obvious day-to-day ethical dilemmas, but in the mundane policies and
structures that may have hidden ethical implications. Robert Starratt (1991)
notes that every social arrangement benefits some people at the expense of
others; simply to assume that schools embody desirable standards is
"ethically naive, if not culpable." Thus, the principal must not
only behave responsibly as an individual, but must create an ethical
institution. As leaders, principals have a special responsibility to
exercise authority in an ethical way. Greenfield points out that much of a
principal's authority is moral; that is, teachers must be convinced that the
principal's point of view reflects values they support. Coercion through
bureaucratic authority will seldom have a positive, lasting effect.

What ethical dilemmas do directors face?

As defined by Rushworth Kidder (1995), an "ethical
dilemma" is not a choice between right and wrong, but a choice between
two rights. For example, considering a bribe would be a "moral
temptation"; deciding whether scarce resources should go to a gifted
curriculum or a dropout-prevention program would constitute a dilemma.
Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict. A principal who values both
teacher autonomy and student achievement will face a dilemma when teachers
want to enact a policy that lowers expectations. This kind of conflict is
heightened because school leaders are public officials with obligations to
many people who often have competing values or interests. Should parents be
informed if a counselor learns that their daughter is considering an
abortion? Should a student group be able to book an assembly speaker whose
views will offend some in the community? Should the principal support a
teacher who has made a questionable grading decision?

Some studies suggest that obligations to superiors put
special pressure on ethical decision making. For instance, Peggy Kirby and
colleagues (1990) asked principals to estimate how "a typical
colleague" would respond to hypothetical dilemmas. Respondents usually
indicated that colleagues would take "the path of least
resistance" by deferring to superiors or taking refuge in official
policies. Kirby and her colleagues speculate that these hypothetical
colleagues actually reflect the norm.

How can leaders resolve ethical dilemmasl

Moral philosophers generally agree there is no ethical
"cookbook" that provides easy answers to complex dilemmas. But a
number of thinkers have suggested some guidelines. First, leaders should
have and be willing to act on a definite sense of ethical standards.
Starratt argues that a fully informed ethical consciousness will contain
themes of caring (What do our relationships demand of us?); justice (How can
we govern ourselves fairly?); and critique (Where do we fall short of our
own ideals?). Second, leaders can examine dilemmas from different
perspectives. Kidder describes three.

One is to anticipate the consequences of each choice and
attempt to identify who will be affected, and in what ways. Another approach
uses moral rules, assuming that the world would be a better place if people
always followed certain widely accepted standards (such as telling the
truth). A third perspective emphasizes caring, which is similar to the
Golden Rule: How would we like to be treated under similar circumstances?

Third, leaders can often reframe ethical issues. Kidder
claims that many apparent dilemmas are actually "trilemmas,"
offering a third path that avoids the either-or thinking. For example, faced
with a parent who objects to a particular homework assignment on religious
grounds, a principal may be able to negotiate an alternative assignment,
thereby preserving academic integrity without trampling on parental rights.
Finally, leaders should have the habit of conscious reflection, wherever it
may lead them.

How do leaders create ethical institutions?

By their nature, most schools do not encourage discussion
of ethical issues; educators spend most of the day isolated from one
another, and time is always at a premium. One means of raising ethical
awareness is to form an ethics committee similar to those found in many
hospitals. Such committees would not make formal rulings, but would raise
awareness of ethical issues, formulate ethical codes, and advise educators
grappling with ethical dilemmas (Betty Sichel 1993). Thomas Sergiovanni
(1992) says that truly effective schools are those with a shared covenant
clearly articulating the school's core values and providing a standard by
which actions will be judged. Leaders must not only take the lead in
formulating the covenant but actively support and enforce it. When a vital
standard is ignored, principals should "lead by outrage.

What virtues must leaders practise?

Students of ethics are unanimous on one point: moral
leadership begins with moral leaders. Howard Gardner (1995) says of great
leaders that they embody the message they advocate; they teach, not just
through words, but through actions. What virtues are most important for
school leaders? Some studies suggest that honesty is the quality most
appreciated by subordinates (Michael Richardson and others 1992). And any
principal who has launched a risky new program or has publicly shouldered
the blame for someone else's mistake can testify to the importance of
courage. Some who write about ethics argue that leaders must use their power
with restraint, since it always holds the potential for treating others as
less than fully human. Peter Block (1993) advocates stewardship, which is
the willingness to accept accountability for results without always trying
to impose control over others. In simplest terms, stewardship asks leaders
to acknowledge their own human faults and limitations rather than hiding
behind their status and power. Whatever virtue is desired, moral
philosophers going back to Aristotle have emphasized that it must become a
habit. just as musicians develop musical ability by playing an instrument,
people become virtuous by practising virtue.

Ethical behaviour is not something that can be held in
reserve for momentous issues; it must be a constant companion. To be an
ethical school leader, then, is not a matter of following a few simple
rules. The leader's responsibility is complex and multi-dimensional, rooted
less in technical expertise than in simple human integrity.

Gardner, Howard. Leading Minds: An Anatomy of
Leadership. New York: Basic Books, 1995.

Greenfield, William D., Jr. Rationale and Methods To
Articulate Ethics and Administrator Training. Paper presented at the
annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago,
April 1991. 32 pages.ED 332 379.

Kidder, Rushworth M. How Good People Make Tough
Choices. NewYork: William Merrow, 1995.

Kirby, Peggy C.; Louis V. Pardise; and Russell Protti. The
Ethical Reasoning of School Administrators: The Principled Principal.
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, Boston, April 1990. 11 pages.ED 320 253.